How Plex Manufacturers Automate Accounts Payable to Eliminate Invoice Bottlenecks

Manual accounts payable processes are no longer sustainable for manufacturers running on Plex. Between labor shortages, increasing invoice complexity, and pressure to close the books faster, AP teams are being asked to do more with less.

That’s exactly why Nimbello partnered with Revolution Group to host a recent webinar focused on practical, real-world AP automation inside Plex. The session walked through how manufacturers are eliminating invoice bottlenecks, improving visibility, and scaling AP operations without adding headcount.

Below are the key takeaways every Plex user should know.

Why Plex Manufacturers are Rethinking AP

Across manufacturing organizations, AP teams face the same recurring challenges:

• Invoices stuck on hold due to price, quantity, or receipt mismatches

• Manual follow-ups via email and spreadsheets

• Limited visibility into invoice status

• Heavy reliance on tribal knowledge within AP

As discussed in the webinar, these issues don’t just slow AP down — they create downstream problems with accrual accuracy, vendor relationships, and audit readiness.

The presenters highlighted that automation isn’t about OCR alone. True AP automation requires managing the full lifecycle: intake, matching, exception handling, approvals, and ERP posting.

The 8 Most Common AP Bottlenecks — and How Plex Users Solve Them

A major focus of the session was walking through real invoice scenarios Plex users deal with every day, including:

1. Tracking invoices on hold
   Instead of hunting through email inboxes, all held invoices are centralized with clear hold reasons.
2. Automated communication to resolve holds
   Built-in comments, reminders, and escalation emails keep issues moving without AP chasing people down.
3. Multi-line PO matching
   Invoice lines are automatically paired to PO lines using multiple validation points.
4. Price variance detection
   Invoices with price discrepancies are flagged and routed automatically.
5. Quantity vs. receipt matching
   Multiple receipts can be combined and matched without manual intervention.
6. Handling non-PO charges like freight and tax
   Charges can be auto-approved below thresholds or routed when approvals are required.
7. Allocating freight and tax across GLs
   Rules-based allocations eliminate manual GL splitting.
8. Non-PO invoice approvals and GL coding
   Approval workflows ensure invoices are coded correctly before posting.

Together, these capabilities eliminate the most time-consuming AP tasks while preserving control and accuracy.

Why API Integration Matters for Plex

One of the strongest differentiators discussed was API-based integration with Plex, versus robotic process automation (RPA).

With API integration:

• Vendor masters, POs, receipts, and GLs sync directly

• Invoices post back to Plex with full audit visibility

• There are less maintenance and far fewer breakpoints

This approach ensures reliability and scalability — especially critical for manufacturers with multiple PCNs and locations.

The webinar demo also showed how different users interact with invoices:

• AP teams see everything on hold in one dashboard

• Buyers and approvers only see invoices assigned to them

• Vendors can check invoice and payment status through a portal

This role-based visibility reduces noise, shortens cycle times, and improves accountability across the organization.

The Real Impact: More Invoices, Same Headcount

One of the most compelling stats shared during the session:

• Before automation: ~800–1,200 invoices per AP employee/month

• After automation: ~2,500–3,500 invoices per AP employee/month

That’s not incremental improvement — it’s a fundamental shift in how AP operates inside Plex.

Is Your Plex AP Process Ready for Automation?

The webinar closed with a simple framework for Plex users evaluating AP automation:

• Can your current process handle complex invoices without manual work?

• Do you have real-time visibility into invoice status?

• Are exceptions routed automatically to the right people?

• Is your ERP integration API-based and reliable?

If the answer to any of those is “no,” it may be time to rethink how AP works in Plex.

Want to See It in Action?

Nimbello continues to host webinars and share real-world examples showing how manufacturers modernize AP without disrupting Plex workflows.

Request a demo to see how AP automation works inside Plex. 

 Request Demo Here